To go along with my recent post about the mental health benefits of the Mediterranean diet, I’m sharing this recipe for “Katharine’s Greek God Salad” from the “Cooking to Cure, A Nutritional Approach to Anxiety and Depression” book. It is a delicious, colorful salad that is highly anti-inflammatory and high in calcium, potassium, selenium, vitamin D, vitamin E, as well as many other important mental health nutrients and has 80% of your daily requirement for vitamin B12! And all for just over 400 calories.

In addition to the many proven physical health benefits of the Mediterranean diet, research has shown that a diet of fresh vegetables and fruits, nuts and seeds, whole grains and good quality sources of protein is essential for decreasing the risk of anxiety and depression. This type of diet is rich in the nutrients that are critical for the regulation of mood by providing the necessary fiber and probiotics involved in proper digestion (if we don’t digest our food properly our bodies don’t utilize the nutrients we ingest) to the production of neurotransmitters that make us feel calm and happy. Processed food has been stripped of the enzymes and many of the nutrients necessary for good mental health.